The San Francisco 49ers are coming off one of their worst seasons in the Kyle Shanahan era in 2024. They finished last place, but that may have been a blessing in disguise, as it provided them with by far the easiest schedule in the NFL in 2025.
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And they have taken advantage so far, moving up to 4-1 after an upset win over the division rival Los Angeles Rams on TNF. San Francisco won that game 26-23 in OT despite the fact that they were without their starting QB, Brock Purdy, a bevy of defenders, and their top three wide receivers.
Because of all those injuries at the WR position—Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t played yet this season and Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have been in and out of the lineup through the first five games—there are some using their 20/20 hindsight goggles to suggest the 49ers should have kept Deebo Samuel, the disgruntled wideout that was shipped to the Washington Commanders during the offseason. And one of those is former three-time Pro Bowl safety Donte Whitner.
“When I analyze the film, they’re missing Deebo Samuel. They don’t have another offensive weapon who can create hesitancy in the backside defenders and in the open field, to really stop those defenders from pinning their ears back and just playing front side gaps.”
"They're missing Deebo Samuel."
— Donte Whitner on the 49ers@heykayadams | @DonteWhitner pic.twitter.com/UlVwLa6qkR
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 3, 2025
Whitner spent the prime of his career with the 49ers from 2011-2023, earning his first two Pro Bowl nods during those final two seasons in the Bay. He was also a starter on their Super Bowl team in 2012, though they lost the Big Game that year. Whitner also earned a third straight Pro Bowl after signing a big free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns in 2024.
Whitner has the credentials to make the claim he made, though we would argue that looking back at possible regrets and mistakes is not constructive to future success, unless it’s being used to help avoid similar mistakes in the future, which we don’t believe to be the case here.
If it wasn’t for that darn injury bug—which has been following the 49ers around since the start of the 2024 campaign—San Francisco would be more than fine at wide receiver without Samuel. Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall were a young and exciting starting duo to begin the season, though both have been dealing with nagging injuries.
Jennings has had rib and ankle issues for a few weeks, while Pearsall reignited a knee issue in Week 4. Both of them, along with presumptive WR1 Brandon Aiyuk, who tore his ACL midseason last year and has yet to play a down in—were out in the Week 5 win, which saw Kendrick Bourne step in with a 142-yard night in relief.
San Francisco is middle of the pack in receiver targets and No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards per game at over 290. The offense seems just fine without Deebo, who has a modest 22-204-2 receiving line through four games in the nation’s capital.
